Best Managers Ever – Part 3

I couldn’t round off my top three of best managers ever without including Manager 3 – my first ever manager when I was a lowly audit junior.

Why do I still remember and love her so much? Because she was the first manager I had worked with, and still only one of a very small handful of managers who I have ever seen to actually stand up and fight for their team.

We all know what it’s like in the office – no matter how democratic and open your office is, a little bit of office politics will creep in there anyway. It’s human nature, unavoidable and sucks if you’re at the dodgy end of it. Most managers will acknowledge it with a wry smile and a ‘what can you do?’ shrug, then move on. Not Manager 3 though.

Here’s what happened – there was a little team of us who, although not out of favour, were definitely out of sight of the bigwigs that make the decisions that affect us minions. There were other minions though, bright and shiny and in perfect sight of the bigwigs at decision making time. The bigwigs made a decision which felt completely unfair to us hard-working but invisible minions. I’d seen this before and resigned myself to living with an unfair situation. I was still better of than the majority of people out there and it was a blip not a mountain. But Manager 3 was having none of it. She strode in and shook the bigwigs by their (figurative) collars. She argued her case and ours. She pointed out the unfair comparisons, and unacceptable decision. She was amazing – like a Greek goddess, all righteous wrath and fury. It was an amazing sight to behold (from a safe distance). And everyone knows you don’t argue with a goddess on a mission. You humbly apologise and lay down offerings to appease her.

I don’t have her guts. But I will never forget the lesson she taught me – never, ever accept a situation that you know is wrong, and always fight for what’s right! Thank you Manager 3 – you are a legend.